U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated on Saturday that the government may consider placing a substantial bounty on the senior leaders of the Taliban. He mentioned that there are reports suggesting the Taliban may be holding more American hostages than previously acknowledged.
Rubio shared this information via a post on the social media platform X, stating, “I am hearing that the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported.” He emphasized that if this information is accurate, the U.S. would need to impose a significant bounty on the Taliban’s top leaders, potentially exceeding the bounty that was once placed on Osama bin Laden.
The post did not elaborate on the specifics or the number of Americans believed to be in Taliban custody. In recent developments, authorities in Kabul disclosed that the U.S. had released an Afghan individual convicted of drug smuggling and extremism in exchange for two American citizens held in Afghanistan.
Afghan officials confirmed on Tuesday that the individual, Khan Mohammad, had arrived in Kabul following his release. A spokesperson for the Taliban administration verified that two Americans were indeed freed as part of this exchange.
One of the released Americans was identified as Ryan Corbett, who had been detained by the Taliban since 2022, according to his family. Reports from U.S. media indicated that the other American released was William McKenty. The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021 after a tumultuous U.S. withdrawal that marked the end of a two-decade military presence.
Additionally, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced on Thursday that he had sought arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, including the supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, citing their involvement in the persecution of women and girls.
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